Relay through the cones

A long slalom course with six cones and two lines racing each other. The length gives every player an effort of ten to fifteen seconds: long enough to actually get warm, short enough to keep the running sharp.

10 players 7 phases ± 12 min 6 cones, the full court From U13 upwards

Phase 1 of 7Two lines behind the starting line, cones out on the court

Two lines behind the start line Equipment Ball

This animation comes straight out of the Koach app. In the app you play it at your own pace and the positions carry your players' real names.

Open in the app

How the drill runs

What you are training

Warm-up: two lines sprint a slalom around the cones and tag the next runner. Gets speed and footwork up to temperature.

Accelerating and braking in short repeats, with a turn between every one.
Reading the course: looking at the next cone while you are still rounding the last one.
A short, hard effort of ten to fifteen seconds per turn.

Coaching points

Pass every cone on the correct side.

As soon as players get tired they start cutting corners without noticing. Agree that a missed cone voids the run, otherwise the course gets shorter every round.

The tag happens on the start line, not in front of it.

Lines drift forward on their own and meters quietly disappear from the course. Being precise about a line is something a volleyball player has to learn anyway.

Put this drill at the end of your warm-up, not at the start.

Slaloming at full speed on cold legs is one of the few genuinely risky things in a warm-up: high speed, sharp angles, cold muscles.

Never let a line grow beyond four players.

Waiting longer than fifteen seconds means cooling down again. Split into three short lines rather than two long ones, even if that costs you an extra course.

Variations

Easier: Fewer cones or more distance between them, and jog straight back on the return.
Harder: Slalom on the way out and go sideways on the way back. Or run with a ball in both hands, so the arms can no longer help with balance.
With six players: One course, running against the clock instead of against each other. Note the team time and try to beat it next practice.
As a game: Three rounds. The winning team gets to pick which drill the practice continues with.

Volleyball drills

4 players · 6 phases SafeVolley base round Warm-up 3 players · 5 phases Shoulder activation with band Warm-up 2 players · 6 phases Dynamic movement patterns Warm-up 5 players · 5 phases Core plank with rotation Warm-up

Read on in the knowledge base: warm-up drills in one place · building your session like a program · running a practice from preparation to review